The Secretive Guest
by Moon's Meow
Summary: A soldier of the Military Police wanders into a forest and comes across a strange hotel, called "Gregory House". Against her better judgement, she spends the night, not expecting the horrors that wait inside.
1. Night 01

Night 01

_ What am I doing wandering through this forest? Last I remember, I took a boat, heading back to the Military Police barracks. When I stepped off of it, I started walking, and I somehow ended up here. What is this place and why is it here?_

The young woman walked almost mindlessly down the faded dirt road. The sleeping city, with its cobblestone streets and burning lamps, seemed long gone from where she was. Edgeless forms of trees surround her like an indifferent crowd. The shape of a large building then manifested farther down the path. The closer she got to it, the more she could see. Tombstones jutted out of its front lawn, thick shutters of dozens of windows were closed tight, and no light came from the house, save for the front steps; on either side of the heavy, wooden, double-door, there was a dim candle, which gave off an alluring glow. Over the entrance were the words "Gregory House". With a loud, ear-grating creak, the doors opened, allowing eerie light to pour over her as she walked in. Somewhere, a distant scream could be heard.

The inside was quiet and still. All noise seemed to be snuffed out, and the interior was filled with more striking colors than she had expected; the floorboards, wall moldings and gleaming armchairs were all a purple wine color; the walls were turquoise and all other wooden pieces of furniture and fixtures were traditional shades of brown. Though the hall beyond the lobby was dark, candlelight lit the front room from either high up the walls, the low tabletop surrounded by waiting armchairs, or the corner of the unoccupied front desk. On the other side of the desk, there were cubbies, some of which held pure white, picked-clean bones of indeterminate origin.

"Young lady, are you lost?" the oily voice of an old man asked from behind her.

The young woman turned, but she jumped back in shock, met by the sight of a stout, human-like mouse half her size. The creature appeared to meet her gaze, despite the fact that his red wine-colored eyes went in opposite, outward directions. He chuckled and commented, "He, he, he. I'm sorry, my dear. I didn't mean to scare you."

The young woman froze, with a hand defensively hovering over her rifle. Her eyes darted over his form, still trying to register just what he was; though he was covered in grey fur, he had mangy, dirty blonde hair hanging off the sides of his head, behind his large ears. He wore a pink coat over a red-black striped shirt. His large incisors were the centerpiece to the knowing smile on his face, which was covered with wrinkles and a handful of moles.

"What…are you?" she asked, still not sure what to think.

"What am I?" He repeated in slight amusement, then answered, "Oh, just an old mouse. He, he, he."

The dumbstruck, young woman blinked and shook her head in disbelief. She murmured, "…I must be dreaming…"

"Dreaming, you say?" the mouse repeated before chuckling. He then replied, "Well, for someone who's asleep, you sure look tired." The old mouse suggested, "Why not spend the night, my dear?"

At this, the young woman stiffened, taking up an unreadable expression, and responded, "I have somewhere I need to be tonight. I can't stay here."

"But you've come all this way, my child. I would've thought that you'd like to relax and escape for a bit," he spoke in an ingratiating tone, with his words stirring an odd feeling in her. The old mouse went on to say, "Besides, I don't think it wise for one go through the forest, this late at night, alone. I'd say you were very lucky, my dear, to have made it here without running into any trouble!"

For a moment, the young woman paused. After a long minute, she replied, "…Fine. I'll take up your offer."

"You've made the right choice, my dear," he responded. The old mouse then shuffled past her, out of the way of the door. The young woman looked at the exit, but she then turned back to the creature; he picked up the chamberstick from the front desk and, from a hook behind the desk, took a ring of keys with his other hand. He slowly looked over his shoulder, smiling as he said, "Allow me to show you to your room. He, he, he."

The old mouse then turned forward again and made his way out of the lobby, where the nearly impenetrable darkness began to swallow up him and his candlelight.

* * *

******I DO NOT RECOMMEND READING THIS STORY UNLESS HAVING WATCHED "GREGORY HORROR SHOW", EPISODE 25 OF SHINGEKI NO KYOJIN (ATTACK ON TITAN) OR READ AT LEAST CHAPTER 34 (VOL. 8) OF SHINGEKI NO KYOJIN (ATTACK ON TITAN). OTHERWISE, THERE IS A HIGH CHANCE OF SPOILERS.**

_**Moon's Meow**_**: Here it is! The first bit of activity I've done in a while as well as a new story. It's one where a character from SNK checks into Gregory House, which manifests their darkest thoughts and past sins into living nightmares. I will post chapters on a weekly basis and I hope you all will enjoy.**

**Also, as far as the warning above, I feel that all lot of elements in the story will be hard to understand if one isn't familiar with these things. You can certainly read the story anyways, but I would recommend looking over these things first. The Gregory Horror Show can easily be found on YouTube by searching "Gregory Horror Show Volume 1" and I recommend the playlist of MsChocolateHills, one can watch SNK by searching "Shingeki no Kyojin episode 1" or read the manga by searching "Shingeki no kyojin chapter 1".**

**I hope you all have a fun time reading!**


	2. Night 02

Night 02

_ I decided to take a look at the room that this mouse-creature offered. I should know better than to go farther into this bizarre hotel, but it feels like something is drawing me in. It's unnerving._

The old mouse shuffled down the hall, dim candlelight in hand, with the young woman following close behind. They first entered a very dark hallway, with corridors to their left and right and stairs in front of them. He began steadily up the stairs, as the candle he held revealed only a few feet around them. After the stairs was a long corridor that stretched to either side. The mouse went left and continued a short distance, with their footsteps echoing throughout the dark, empty halls. The young woman was unsure if anything stirred behind the teal doors that they passed.

"Here we are, my dear," the mouse announced, stopping at a door with the golden numbers _205_. With a heavy click, the door was unlocked and then it creaked open. Grinning, the old mouse stepped aside and motioned for her to enter.

Slowly, the young woman approached the doorway, revealing a simple room lit by a burning candle sitting on a vanity in the far corner. She then walked inside; a tall, double-door dresser was to her left; a green, single-person bed sat in the back, right corner with a picture of a cat hanging over it. As she looked at the double, wooden shutters of the tightly close window across the room, she heard the mouse speak up.

"Ah, you may not want to open _that_ unless if you're prepared to face the consequences," he warned in an oily voice. The young woman turned from the window and faced the old mouse, who stood in the doorway.

"Well, my dear, feel free to ask me if you need anything," he continued, before he backed out of the doorway and shut the creaking door. When she turned around again, the young woman could hear the mouse walking back down the hall, chuckling creepily.

"What a weird situation…" she muttered to herself.

She sighed and then took off the rifle that she had slung over her shoulder and carefully leaned it against the wall by the bed. Afterwards, the young woman walked around and sat on the edge of the bed, where she could see her reflection in the mirror of the vanity.

The young woman was dressed in a uniform with tall brown boots, white pants, a brown sash wrapped around her waist, brown straps evenly wrapped around her legs, a belt that connected to more straps around her upper body, a white hooded sweatshirt and a small brown jacket with the symbol of a green unicorn on the back. Strands of her fair, blonde hair, which was tied up in a messy bun, hung over her almost bored face, which held a pronounced nose. Her light blue eyes stared back at herself.

A long, rattling scream sounded from elsewhere in the building, causing her to quickly stand. She looked around in surprise as the noise died down. She instinctively took up her rifle and headed for the door, reaching for the doorknob.

Suddenly, the door opened on its own. At least, that's what she thought until the old mouse's face abruptly poked in.

"Please, par-oh my!" the mouse began and jumped in surprise as the end of the barrel was inches from his nose. Breathlessly, he turned a little from her, but kept the young woman in view out of the corner of his eye, insisting, "My dear child, you should be careful where you point that thing. No action is without consequence, you know."

The rifle was lowered and the old mouse faced her once again. He went on to say, "I came to apologize for any disturbances you may have heard. You see, many of the guests at this hotel are…_quite_ the characters. As such, I wouldn't go poking into the other rooms. We certainly want to avoid any _accidents_ from happening. He, he, he.

"As I said, my dear, call me if you need anything. By the way, my name is Gregory," the old mouse said, before ducking his head out again and shutting the door.

* * *

**WARNING: I DO NOT RECOMMEND READING THIS STORY UNLESS HAVING WATCHED "GREGORY HORROR SHOW", EPISODE 25 OF SHINGEKI NO KYOJIN (ATTACK ON TITAN) OR READ AT LEAST CHAPTER 34 (VOL. 8) OF SHINGEKI NO KYOJIN (ATTACK ON TITAN). OTHERWISE, THERE IS A HIGH CHANCE OF SPOILERS.**

_**Moon's**_** Meow: Thank you for your patience everyone! Here's we have a description of the guest's appearance, and I hope this will help clue you all to just who she is. As for why I don't simply refer to the same character by her name, rather than "the young woman", it's to somewhat make reference to the first-person point of view used in GHS, without using a first-person point of view narrative, as I feel it would delve farther into her thoughts than we need to be.**

**Also I will try to implement a schedule where a chapter is posted every Wednesday and Saturday. Until then, I hope you all have a fun time reading!**


	3. Night 03

Night 03

_ The instant I saw it, I knew that there was something very wrong with that dish. It reeked of inhumanity and still looked fresh. Though I dared not to imagine where they got their ingredients…I wonder how much of a monster I would seem like if I did eat it._

The door she had locked creaked open, and the young woman quickly looked from her seat on the edge of the bed. Gregory waltzed inside, carrying something with his two hands.

"I thought you might like a midnight snack. He, he, he," he stated confidently as he set a tray, with an occupied plate, on the vanity. The dish was some kind of rare meat, which sat in a pool of blood.

The young woman stood up and approached the vanity, not to settle down and tuck in the food, but rather, to examine it further; the meat was not like beef or pork or any animal along those lines. The dish had red and pink meat, wrapped in hairless flesh. She glanced at the skin on her own hand then back at the food, and she unsteadily stepped backwards.

"Oh my, do you not want to eat? My dear, I do insist!" Gregory urged. "The chef will be awfully insulted!"

The mouse paused as he looked to the side, seeming to recall something. He continued to say, "I remember a guest who had complained about the food. Funny, I haven't seen him since…Probably just a coincidence. He, he, he."

The young woman froze, seeing a figure behind the ajar door. She was met with a pair of glowing red orbs, serving as eyes. Gregory noticed how the young woman's gaze looked past himself, and he turned to the door, prompting a greeting from himself, "Why, hello, Chef."

With a creak, the door was shoved open and the figure revealed more of itself as it slowly walked in. It was dressed in white, with a red sash tied over its shoulders and a red apron around its waist. Its face was obscured and shadowy with the collar of its shirt covering the bottom half of its face and some dirty blond hair stuck out from under the sides of the tall, white hat it wore. There was a large candle wick sticking out the top, burning brightly, but, as the top of the hat seemed to melt like a candle, it made it obvious that the figure's entire body, clothes and all, had a waxy texture.

In its hand, it held an enormous knife almost as big as itself. With a raspy, threatening voice of a man, the creature growled, "What's going on?"

"Ah," Gregory spoke up, answering for the young woman, "the guest was just looking over her meal. I'm sure she'll eat it."

The inhuman chef turned his attention to her, his blade gleaming in the candlelight. He hissed, angry steadily rising in his voice, "There's nothing _wrong_ with the meat, is there?"

The young woman stared at him for a moment and, averting her gaze, answered, "None. There is no problem."

"Oh, that's a relief to hear," Gregory replied cheerfully, watching as the young woman sat down in front of the vanity. She picked up the fork, and her eyes seemed like they were lazily settled on the blood-soaked slab of meat. The other two in the room were silent and watched her, as if waiting to watch her eat.

The young woman looked out of the corner of her eye at the chef, and she asked emotionlessly, "Do you like cooking?"

The chef reacted with a start and took an infuriated step forward, pointing his knife at her. He growled, "Is that supposed to be an _insult?_"

Gregory panicked and edged carefully towards the chef, starting to murmur, "Now, Chef…"

The young woman turned her head completely towards the chef and answered, "No, I'm just wondering. Do you like cooking?"

To Gregory's surprise, the chef lowered the knife. In a much more even, but still rumbling voice, he replied, "I like cooking…"

The chef then turned and slowly made his way out of the room, muttering, "…but I _hate_ criticism…"

When the chef was gone, Gregory turned to the young woman, saying, "Well, that was unexpected. I would consider yourself very lucky, my dear."

Gregory headed for the door and started to shut it behind him. Before he closed it, he suggested, "I recommend eating your meal. It's best to keep up your strength."

With that, the old mouse shut the door, and the young woman heard him chuckle as he walked off, "You are what you eat, after all."

* * *

_**Moon's**_** _Meow_: Well, here we are! After this, we'll start to learn more about the guest and the horrifying things that inhabit this hotel. Brace yourself for some more familiar faces of Gregory House, as well as some new ones. I look forward to see you all next chapter and hope you have fun reading!**


	4. Night 04

Night 04

_ Everything I've met in this house is either insane or dangerous. I shouldn't be here among these bizarre creatures, yet here I am. Could it be that the reason I'm in this house because…I'm no different than them?_

A cat-like yowl sounded from the wall behind the bed, where there was a painted picture of a cat, and the noise went on continuously. The young woman sat on the edge of her bed, staring off at nothing in particular and listening, with the scent of blood filling the air. From time to time, she heard the yowls and high-pitched squeals sometimes form phrases like, "I'm so hungry!" and "Is it dinner time yet?". She looked from the empty space on the wall over to the vanity, where the plate with the bloody piece of meat still sat.

The young woman got up from her seat and walked over to the vanity, retrieving the tray with the meal. She walked out of her room, into the dark hall only lit by a few burning candles above. The disharmonious yowling came from behind the door to the right of her room; the door, with the numbers _203_, didn't resemble any others in the fact that it was made of heavy, rusted metal and seemed like it could be padlocked on the outside, but there was no such lock present at this time.

The young woman knocked on the door, resulting in a metallic thudding. The yowling stopped abruptly. There was a pause of tense silence. Afterwards, a young but hoarse voice spoke up, "…Come in. It's open."

Cautiously, she turned the metal doorknob and pushed the dense, creaking door open. The room she entered into was dark and cold, with no furniture and no candlelight. There was only a barred window where moonlight poured onto the stone tile floor and stone brick walls. In the corner, by the high-up window, there was a human-like cat with glowing orange eyes, which regarded her carefully.

"What brings you here?" he asked, giving the impression it was a much broader question than it seemed.

Nonetheless, the young woman simply answered, holding out the tray, "I wanted to give you this."

The creature seemed to get insulted by this. He stood up and walked forward, dragging a chain along the ground as it was connected to the wall and shackled to his ankle. He stepped into the moonlight, revealing that he wore a striped shirt with the words "Jack Ketch" and a beaten-up pair of pants. He was also covered in thick stitches, which were throughout his face, on his eyes, ears and limbs. He responded in a low voice, "Are you doing it because you pity me? I don't need your sympathy."

"I have plenty of reasons," the young woman argued in a flat tone, "I'm not going to eat this, and I need someway to get rid of it."

The cat paused and seemed to accept this. His eyes then flickered to the food, and he distractedly murmured, "…I'll take it."

The young woman approached, holding the tray out, with the creature's eyes locked on it. She stopped in front of him, still offering the plate. With a yowl, the cat swiped the meat off of the plate and turned away from her. He hunched over his food as he messily tore away at the meat in his hands, slurping and gasping as he ate.

After a moment, the cat turned, his glowing eye settling on her again. Facing her completely, she could see the blood staining his stitched up mouth. His unblinking gaze focused on her as he asked, "Why do you stay here? You obviously don't like this place."

The young woman averted her gaze and answered blandly, "…No reason."

She looked back when she heard the chains scrape against the ground as the cat creature walked forward, saying, "But there is a reason-", but his foot caught on the chain. He tripped and fell, landing with a harsh thud and the rattling of his shackle. She took a step towards him but stopped when he looked up at her and continued in almost a whisper, "Everyone staying at this hotel has lost their way…You came to this place…for the same reason."

The young woman said nothing. The cat pulled himself back up and settled back into his corner. When he sat down, he wiped the blood off of his mouth.

With a stony expression, the young woman stated, "I hope you enjoyed the meal." before turning to head for the door.

* * *

**_Moon's Meow_: My sincerest apologies for this chapter coming out late! Nonetheless, I appreciate your patience and hope that you all have a fun time reading!**


	5. Night 05

Night 05

_ There are people who are confident in knowing the difference between right and wrong. Some even tell others their beliefs and convince them to agree. However, there's no guarantee that those people actually "do the right thing" when the time comes._

The heavy, rusted door of Room 203 shut behind her, and the young woman was back out in the dark hallway, holding the tray and bloodied plate. Before she could head for her room next door, she heard a pair of strange noises come from her left; it was a metallic rumbling along with the sound of a man singing.

From the abyss at the end of the hall, a pink light and a yellow light appeared, all the while the rumbling grew louder and the singing became clearer.

"_Do you know, who I am?~_"

The young woman took a step back, watching as a purple and orange figure appeared. A length of chain hung from a ceiling railing and hooked to the top of the figure's purple and magenta hat, which was assumed to be a hat as what seemed to be yellow hair poked out from under it. The figure's head was orange while the face was made of glasses-like eyes, a round and gleaming nose, and a smiling mouth of sharp teeth. The creature's torso was pyramid-shaped, colored yellow, pink and magenta, and on the front were black letters reading "THE JUDGMENT DAY". A black ball the size of a cannon ball, labeled "5t" hung from the bottom of the body, with another ball hanging underneath the first. A pair of short, metal poles stuck out of either side of the torso. A chain hung from the end of each pole, and cages dangled from the chains. There was a glowing heart in one cage and a golden money sign in the other.

"_They call me Judgment Boy!~_"

The scale-shaped being came to a stop right in front of her, imposingly hanging over her head. Suddenly, he proclaimed, "You and a comrade of yours are alone. He is furious at you and can't be reasoned with right now. He is prepared to fight you. You can either try to run from him or face him head on." and the being called Judgment Boy then inquired, "What will you do?"

The young woman paused, looking off to the side, and simply answered, "I'd run from him."

"So you _say_," he challenged, still grinning. Judgment Boy continued, "_I say _we consult the Balance of Truth."

Abruptly, he rapidly began to spin around while shouting, "Judgment!", and the young woman instinctively ducked, dropping the tray and plate. She glanced up, watching him spin several times around at a dizzying speed, with the yellow and pink lights darting around the hall. As suddenly as he had started, Judgment Boy came to a complete stop, calling out, "Now!"

The bottom of one of the cages dropped open, and the pink heart fell like a rock, causing Judgment Boy to tilt like a scale, weighed down by the cage with the money sign. The heart fell until it struck the ground and broke into pieces with a gut-wrenching shatter.

"You choose to face your friend head on. You two have a vicious fight, striking each other with bloodthirsty punches and kicks. Though you have him outmatched, he didn't plan to let in anytime soon. You abruptly end the fight by nearly killing him. Though you manage to render him unconscious, he will never forget what you did. It was your choice, now you get to live with it," Judgment Boy stated with a harsh and unforgiving smile. In one swift motion, he turned around and the rumbling noise started up as he disappeared back into the abyss.

"You certainly can be desperate, my dear," Gregory's oily voice spoke up from behind the young woman. She quickly turned, seeing the old mouse standing behind her, holding a candle in one hand and the ring of keys in the other. He continued, "That can be dangerous, and it certainly makes it difficult for others to trust you."

Wordlessly, the young woman pushed past him and continued down the hall. Gregory walked over to the fallen tray and plate, watching the blood ooze onto the floorboards, where the pieces of the heart lay, and then he stated, "Desperation blurs the lines between good and bad. He, he, he."

* * *

**_Moon's Meow_: Another new chapter, another familiar face. Perhaps Judgement Boy's question is based on a real occurrence in the guest's life, or perhaps it was something that he made up on the spot. Either way, she didn't seem very proud of the truth...**

**I'm glad I managed to get this one posted on time, so hopefully I won't post anything late again. Nonetheless, I hope you all have fun reading and see you next chapter!**


	6. Night 06

Night 06

_ Troublemakers are just that; children that simply want to stir things up. They're only considered dangerous because they don't know when to quit. Their meddling tends to only disturb the peace, but it can also reveal something truly dangerous._

The young woman walked down the long, dark hallway, passing teal doors and the occasional dim candle. Her boots tapped against the floorboards and seemed to bounce off of the lonely walls.

A boyish giggle sounded from behind her, "Heheheh! Hey, grouchy!"

She turned and was met by the sight of a young, human-like mouse with pale brown fur, as well as a red and yellow striped shirt; a handful of blond hair hung over his forehead from between his ears; a cluster of freckles sat between his large pair of gleaming, purple eyes. He mockingly called out, "Missing something?" as he proudly swung around his hand, which held a simple, silver ring.

The young woman immediately searched over her person and found nothing. Her eyes darted back to the young mouse, who laughed and waved around the ring. He taunted, "If you want it, you're gonna have to catch me!"

"Wait-" the young woman started to protest as the small creature swiftly slipped past her, giggling harshly. In that moment, the young woman clenched her fist tightly.

However, she then heard the boy mouse give a surprised yelp and turned to see Gregory; he had the candle in one hand and the ring in his other hand, which was stretched up high above the younger mouse's reach.

"Give it back, Grandpa!" the boy mouse demanded as he fruitlessly hopped for the ring.

The older mouse chided, "Now, James, you shouldn't go around stealing the guests' things." and he continued as he lowered his hand, but still kept it away from the other mouse, "After all-_yowch!_"

Gregory flinched painfully and looked at his hand in shock. A curved, metal hook had sprung from the ring and was buried deep in his hand. James was also caught off guard by this and gave up his struggle to get the ring in order to stare at it in wonder.

The young woman strode over and almost casually took Gregory's wounded hand. She carefully slid the ring out, leaving an oozing hole in his palm. With a simple flick of her thumb, she pushed the blade back into its concealed place and safely tucked the ring away in one of her jacket pockets.

She looked to Gregory and asked evenly, "Do you need medical attention?"

"I'll be fine, my dear. Besides, I wouldn't dare to go and see the nurse with a wound like _this_," Gregory insisted, letting the blood drip from his hand. He then looked to James and continued in a matter-of-factly tone, "As I was saying, it's not wise to steal people's personal belongings. You just might come across a horrible secret of theirs and see just how _dangerous_ they truly are." He finished, knowingly resting one of his eyes on the young woman.

Despite the warning, James eyes were shining with glee. He excitedly hopped over to the young woman, practically stepping on her feet, and he asked with newfound interest, "Hey, grouchy! Does that mean you've killed someone before?"

She didn't answer. Abruptly, the young woman turned away and walked off.

"Hey! Grouchy!" James called out and started to run after her, but Gregory stopped him.

The old mouse spoke, still using his knowing tone, "Don't pursue her, James. Actions speak louder than words, so you've got your answer already. He, he, he."

* * *

**_Moon's Meow_: Another chapter, another familiar face. As always, I hope you guys are having fun reading and we'll see what awaits in the next chapter. Our guest has yet to see just how terrifying Gregory House can be...**


	7. Night 07

Night 07

_ It would've been better if I had sought refuge in my room or maybe even made a break for the exit. Instead I kept wandering through these halls like a lost ghost. As a result, I came across a room that I really should've avoided._

The sound of the young woman's footsteps was soaked in by the floorboards and the darkness that consumed each end of the hall. Even though there were pairs of wall candles set up beside every other door, their dim light would not appear until their viewer was within a few feet of them.

She paused, noticing a slightly open door, which stuck out as all of the surrounding rooms were shut tight. What also caught her eye was a sign on the door, which read in gold letters, "Infirmary". Light came from the room, but she couldn't hear any noise come from inside, nor could she see any movement through the crack in the door.

The young woman glanced around before edging towards the door, moving as silently as she could. As she got closer, the interior of the room that she could see became easier to make out; glass containers either filled with red liquid or tweezers sat atop a metal, grey cabinet; overhead of the cabinet on the checkered floor, there were two massive syringes, each half her size, mounted on the wall. The sight of this alone was enough to cause the young woman to start to back away. Suddenly, a pink, scaly hand grabbed the door and opened it a little wider, revealing most of a lizard-like figure inside.

"Hello there," the creature purred with a deep, womanly voice. She wore a long, white, dress uniform with a matching cap, which bore a red cross. In order to look over the young woman, she turned her pink spotted head. Past a half-closed, purple eyelid and luscious eyelashes, a red-ish eye slid over the visitor. Her thick, dark pink lips curled into a smile and a forked tongue flickered out of her wide mouth as she spoke, "Mmm, you must be a new guest…I'll be more than happy enough to give you a check-up while you're here."

"…No need to waste your time. It won't be necessary," the young woman quietly responded, continuing to discreetly edge away. However, the nurse's gaze was gleefully locked upon her.

"Oh, but I must insist. You seem far overdue for a blood test," the nurse replied, her voice falling into a gurgling chuckle. She then moved the door completely out of the way, revealing the massive syringe that she had her other arm wrapped around.

The nurse then began to walk towards the young woman, who now actively began backing away. The reptilian woman continued to talk excitedly, pleasure dripping from her words, "Ooo, I can't wait to take some of that _red blood_ from your _juicy_ _veins_."

"I'm weak. And I have a small frame. You wouldn't get much blood from me," the young woman insisted fruitlessly.

The nurse's eyes widened for a moment, a wicked smile taking up most of her face as she purred, "I can't help it. I have to see for myself!" and let out a laugh as she rose the massive syringe over her head. The thick needle glinted in the light. With a moaning grunt, the nurse brought down the syringe.

The young woman hastily jumped back; she felt the floor shudder as she watched the dull, thick point of syringe stab into the wooden floorboards with a splintering crack. Immediately, the young woman turned heel and bolted down the hall. However, the nurse heaved the syringe out of the ground, licking her leathery lips in the process, and followed after the guest, holding the massive, medical tool above her head.

Without daring to look back, the young woman ran down the hall, which she could see split in two directions at the end. She could hear the thudding footsteps of the creature giving chase and, unfortunately, it was rapidly getting closer. The nurse let out a throaty laugh, which sounded to be only a few feet away. All the while, the wall ahead was getting to be not too far off. The young woman paused, starting to stop and turn. Right then, the reptilian nurse thrust her syringe at her.

The young woman had tilted to the side, just enough for the syringe to move past her and jam into the lower part of the wall with a crisp crunch. As the nurse started to try to wiggle the tool free, time seemed to slow for the young woman; she shifted her body weight, holding her inwardly-turned fists up and raising her knee in front of herself; the young woman then kicked her leg out, allowing her weight and momentum to follow her leg as she brought it down, right onto the glass surface of the syringe. There was a cracking noise, followed by an icy shatter, and the young woman pulled her leg away, watching as a large shard of glass tumbled from the syringe. It clattered onto the ground and the nurse cried out.

She moaned and gasped desperately between sentences, "My syringe! It can't take any blood like this!"

The nurse set a burning, venomous glare on the young woman, growling, "You…you'll pay-" but the reptilian creature paused worriedly, attention drifting back to her broken device. With another cry of agony, the nurse pulled her syringe out of the wall and ran off, back towards the infirmary.

The young woman wasted no time in hurrying off in the opposite direction, down the right turn at the intersection. As her footsteps faded into mere whispers, the sound of a shuffling walk approached from the left. Gregory, candle in hand, appeared and glanced at the large, glass shard lying on the ground. He scoffed and pointedly looked in the direction that the young woman had run off to, "She should know better than to leave such dangerous rubbish lying around. Things you throw away or ignore carelessly tend to have a habit of resurfacing at the most inconvenient of times. He, he, he."

* * *

_**Moon's Meow**_**: Now things are actively trying to kill our guest. Of course, it's only going to get worse from here...**

**To me, Catherine's always been one of the more terrifying characters (well, practically all of them are pretty terrifying actually).**

**I hope you guys enjoyed and I'll see you next chapter~!**


	8. Night 08

Night 08

_ Plenty of people ask for help, and some refuse it. I don't think I ever asked to be saved before. If someone was willing to sacrifice themselves in order to protect me, would I let them go through with it?_

The young woman walked, with the sound of her steps bouncing off of the dimly-lit corridors. Suddenly, the hallway started to fade away, replaced by tightly-knit, wooden buildings set in a dusty land bathed in relentless sunlight. The young woman looked around, watching the hotel completely disappear, leaving her in a scorching, small town. She glanced down at her feet, which shyly shuffled in the hot sand, and her body language indicated complete unfamiliarity to the terrain.

"Hey you!" a hoarse voice growled nearby. The young woman turned to see a figure in a dark suit with matching black gloves. A pair of horse-like ears stuck out from under the wide-brim of his round hat, the shadow of which obscured his face. Only his soulless, unblinking eyes could be seen. He stepped forward, with the pair of trumpet-shaped pistols clinking against his belt, as he went on, "No one's allowed out at this hour. In case you forgot, missy, I'm in charge of this town. I decide who lives or dies!"

His voice dropped to a low tone as one of his hands edged towards the handle of his pistol, "And I know just how to keep this from happening again…"

"Hold eet right there, hombre!" a new voice piped up.

The two looked over. The young woman was taken aback at the sight of a human-like creature, with green skin covered with rows of thin spines. He wore a large and round straw hat, a sash of bullets and a patterned shirt ridden with bullet holes. He had a pair of dark sideburns with a curling mustache large enough to cover his mouth. His half-closed, red-ish gaze looked back at her. With a wink, he assured her huskily in an accent she couldn't recognize, "Don't worry. I'll protect you, senorita."

The plant-like being turned his attention back to the horse-eared creature, who leered at the former. He growled, "You've got guts for an idiot."

"So you say, but I got speed on my side." The plant creature put a foot forward, turning slightly, and lifted his tattered shirt to reveal the trumpet-shaped pistol on his belt as he challenged, "The clock's about to strike high noon, hombre! You either walk 'teel you're gone or get ready to draw."

The horse creature scoffed, "Let's see how fast you are when I blow that hand of yours off before you even touch your pistol."

The pair then went quiet, eyes locked. Ten paces apart, and they didn't budge from where they stood. Hands hovered over their gun handles. The sun bore down like an overeager spectator. The dry wind passed, carrying slivers of sand, and a ball of dried up plants tumbled past. A clock tower nearby ticked away, beat by beat, edging closer to high noon. They were still as statues.

"What will you do, my dear?" Gregory asked in his oily tone. The young woman turned to unexpectedly see the old mouse beside her, as he was dressed in the black clothing of an undertaker. With a sly smile, he looked over at her with one of his outward eyes and went on, "Will you let him endanger himself for you or will you try to stop him?"

The young woman didn't respond. She looked back at the pair.

The plant-like man then spoke, not moving his gaze as he proclaimed, "For too long, you've been torturing the reseedents around here, trying to break their spireets. You gotta understand that you've got no real power here! And I'm gonna shoot you down!"

His words echoed through the dusty air. The ticking of the large clock steadily got louder and louder. The wind receded, as if one were drawing a breath. Everything went still. The young woman stayed where she was. There was a dull thud as the large hand of the clock clicked into place. It was followed by the gong of the clock bell, rattling the air.

Like a bolt of lightning, the plant-like gunslinger drew his pistol and fired.

The horse-like gunslinger froze, eyes wide. He was thrown into shock by the fact that he hadn't even touched his pistol yet, but he didn't have a scratch on him.

Meanwhile, the young woman glanced around until she noticed Gregory swaying. There was a gaping hole in his hat, which oozed blood, and he groaned, "Oh…I see…"

Eyes rolling to the back of his head, Gregory fell backwards. The sound of a gun being drawn yanked her attention back to the street; the horse-like gunslinger took the chance to draw his own pistol, pointing it at the plant-like man.

A lasso suddenly wrapped around the horse creature, pinning his arms to his side. Nearby, holding the other end of the rope, there was another plant-like being, but this one was a younger girl; under her large, straw hat were a pair of long, green braids; she wore a red neckerchief with a cow print vest over a blue dress; dark green cheeks and a cluster of green freckles framed her unsmiling lips. With a tug of the lasso, the horse-like creature was yanked off his feet and face-first onto the ground, disturbing a cloud of sand. His pistol clattered off to the side.

"Little seester!" The plant being called out in surprise, "What are you doing?"

She looked to him and responded, "I couldn't let him hurt you, big brother."

"Aye-ye-ye." He sighed, "You shouldn't worry about me like thees."

"But, big brother, I knew you would miss your mark! You always do!"

All the while, to the young woman, the plant-like gunslinger started to resemble a young man with short and dark hair, wearing a white and brown uniform similar to her own, but the jacket had a symbol of a pair of crossed blades. Broad, metal boxes were strapped to his sides, with mechanical pieces and wires connecting it to the handles of the blades he held. Meanwhile, the plant-like girl seemed to look like a young woman with silky, black hair cut short, wearing the same gear and uniform but with a red scarf wrapped around her neck. The dark-haired girl dotted over the young man as he embarrassedly tried brushing her off. His large, glistening eyes turned to the on-looker.

"Senorita," called the young man in the plant-like creature's distinctive accent, shattering the memory's illusion. The young woman was back in the dry, sun-dominated town, facing the plant gunslinger and his younger sister. He tipped his hat and stated, "I wish you many happy days!"

With that, the pair of plant-like beings walked off towards the horizon bathed in a setting sun. The young woman watched them go until she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. To her surprise, it was Gregory, still with a hole through his head but back in his usual attire, and he held a trumpet-shaped rifle in his hands. He scurried after the unconcerned pair, angrily screeching while firing off rounds, "You damned cacti! You always cause me so much grief! And you always shoot me in the head! You weren't even aiming for me, _you sorry excuse for a shot! Get back here!_"

* * *

**_Moon's Meow_: Here's the new chapter, along with some more familiar faces, as well as a new one. The "horse-eared creature" is a character I made up that I like to call "Corrupt Mayor". There are other one-shot, made-up characters like this and they only really serve to move the story along. In this case, the character served as a bit of foil to Cactus Gunman. Worry not, there will still be the appearance of more, legitimate Gregory Horror Show characters.**

**I hope you enjoyed reading and I'll see you next chapter!**


	9. Night 09

Night 09

_ I'm scared to think of taking off my mask. Maybe I've been wearing it for far too long, but I'm afraid of what may happen if I did reveal my true feelings. I don't know if I'm more terrified of death…or losing one of my remaining defenses._

The young woman walked through the dark halls and headed towards a four-way intersection. The candles that hung on the wall, offering light, were scattered and few. She continued straight, her footsteps thudding consistently until she noticed something standing in the hall to her left. The young woman had slowed to see a figure, dressed in a white robe, and the featureless, dark grey head bore a porcelain white mask. This mask had no holes to see through, but painted on it were lifelike blue eyes and pink lips, formed with no expression. The figure's head slowly turned towards the young woman and followed her as she walked.

"What a lovely mask." The figure spoke in a soft murmur with the voice of a young woman, "You wear it so well."

The young woman didn't respond and looked away from the figure, back at the path ahead. She continued beyond the intersection, focusing on the relative darkness ahead of her and the sound of her thumping steps.

"May I take off your mask?" came the masked woman's polite inquiry in the background, far behind the young woman. The latter stopped and turned. Instead of seeing the white figure at the end of the hall, the young woman's gaze met with painted eyes of the porcelain face, inches from her own. The young woman began to back up, seeing the masked woman slowly lift her own hands as she hissed violently, "Let me take off your mask!" The masked woman lunged forward with a growl, but the young woman was able to evade her.

The young woman quickly turned heel and ran. The masked woman shouted after her, "_Take off your mask! Let me take off your mask!_" The young woman didn't dare look back. She desperately continued onward, finding herself in a worse situation than she realized; there was no split in the hall, and there were no doors to escape through; she passed only one dim, wall candle after another.

She felt an iron grip wrap around her left wrist and yank her back, causing burning pain to shoot throughout the captive arm. The masked woman then pushed the young woman, so the latter's back slammed harshly against the wall. Her spine dully stung and she was dazed for a moment. As she recovered, the young woman could see the creature raising its free hand as it growled excitedly, "Let's see your face. What's under that mask? Show it to me! Let me see!"

The dark hand was inches from the young woman's face. The young woman instinctively threw her right fist up and around the masked woman's arm, striking the side of the latter woman's face. There was a small crack as a clasp holding up one side of the mask up broke. The mask tilted sideways. The masked woman let out a horrified gasp and pulled away from the young woman. However, the mask began to fall off as the strap proceeded to loosen. The masked woman hunched over and reached to catch the mask before it completely came loose. In this moment, the young woman caught a glimpse of the face of the masked woman, who glanced back. The young woman met her own light blue eyes, which were filled to the brim with guilt, lonesomeness and fear.

The masked woman quickly turned away, pushing the mask back over her face, and ran down the hallway. The young woman watched the white-robed figure disappear into the darkness, completely swallowed up from sight.

* * *

_**Moon's Meow**_**: The "masked woman" is another made-up character, which I'd like to refer to as "The Mask". Of all the fan-characters in this story, I like her the most. Still, like all the other fan-characters, she will make only one appearance, but I certainly hope that it was a memorable one~**

**I hope you enjoyed reading and I will see you next time, where our guest fruitlessly continues to find safe refuge.**


	10. Night 10

Night 10

_ What justifies action? Is it the reasoning that supposedly fueled it? Or is it considered just when put into perspective of what would've been done? It doesn't seem to matter. The consequence of the action is inescapable, no matter if it was justified._

The young woman walked through the dimly lit corridors, passing one teal door after another. Candles flickered silently. A distant noise then caught her ears, and she paused to look over her shoulder at the darkness behind her. She heard a metallic rumbling with the sound of a man singing.

Quickly, the young woman faced forward and hurried around the right corner of a three-way intersection. She ended up in a light-less dead-end. The rattling noise grew louder and closer, as the singing became more distinct. The young woman turned, looking to the intersection, which she quietly backed away from until she was pressed against the wall. It was too late to run now. She could practically feel the metallic rumbling sending vibrations through the wall, and the man's voice bounced throughout the hall.

"_Do you know, who I am?~_"

Light steadily crawled into the intersection. It was followed by the source, the glowing heart and money sign that sat in the cages hanging from Judgment Boy's metal arms. The scale-like creature moved steadily through the intersection, like a passing ship.

"_They call me Judgment Boy!~_"

The singing figure proceeded out of sight, not slowing nor looking in her direction. Steadily, the sound of his voice and the rattling of the railing grew quieter, as the light from his cages slipped away. After several long minutes, it was near silent and empty once more. The young woman exhaled, just now realizing that she had held her breath. She still stayed where she was, listening for anything else outside of burning candle wicks and her own heart. She saw and heard nothing else stirring in the halls beyond. Suddenly, Judgment Boy dropped down from the ceiling, which the young woman reacted to by falling on her lower back. He jerkily stopped, inches from the ground in front her, much like how a dropped body would after its noose goes taunt. As his glowing cages swayed to and fro, he hissed with a grin, "Judgment…"

With his unblinking eyes settled upon her, his booming statement started without hesitation, "A murder has taken place and your superiors have begun the search for the culprit. No one knows that you are the responsible. However, if you don't take action then you will be discovered and you will be taken in for questioning. If you try to cover your tracks then there's a chance that you will only make it worse for yourself. What will you do?"

The young woman looked from Judgment Boy and tried to find a way past his cages and the chain of round weights that hung under him. However, he took up the entire hallway.

"You cannot escape judgment," Judgment Boy spoke up, causing her to look back up at his face. Due to his smiling lips, he seemed to say with delight, "No one can."

Finally, after a long moment of staring at him, the young woman averted her gaze and answered, "I would come clean."

"So you _say_," he challenged, still grinning. Judgment Boy continued, "_I say _we consult the Balance of Truth."

Abruptly, he rapidly began to spin around while shouting, "Judgment!", and the young woman instinctively ducked her head. She didn't bother watching him spin several times around at a dizzying speed, with the yellow and pink lights darting around the hall. As suddenly as he had started, Judgment Boy came to a complete stop, calling out, "Now!"

She heard the bottom of one of the cages open and the sound of Judgment Boy's body creaking as it tipped to the side. The young woman then watched as the glowing heart fell before her and broke to pieces with a soul-crushing shatter. She looked over the scattered pieces around her, watching the light fade from them as Judgment Boy made a booming declaration, "You choose to hide the evidence. You steal the equipment of a recently deceased comrade to replace your own. Your superiors put you under inspection, and you manage to fool them. You lie in the face of your close comrades though you know that the blood is on your hands. Now you get to live with it."

With a creak, Judgment Boy turned around and moved straight down the hall, with the greedy light of the money sign swallowed up by darkness.

* * *

_**Moon's Meow**_**: Alright, another Judgement Boy appearance and we're just about halfway through the story. I hope you guys are having fun reading and I'll see you again next week, where we'll learn some more about our guest.**


	11. Night 11

Night 11

_ After aimlessly wandering through the hotel, I finally came to a facility called the Gymnasium. As strange as it may seem, the near militaristic sense of the exercise room reminds of a time when I felt truly alive. It seems so long ago._

After walking a while through the dim halls, the young woman saw a bright display ahead of her. She reached a pair of double-doors, framed by two fiercely burning torches. Just above the entrance was a sign that proudly stated, "**Gymnasium**".

"He, he, he, I see you've come across our Gym," came a familiar and oily chuckle. The young woman turned, seeing old Gregory approach her, candle in hand. He explained in an unctuous tone, "You have to pay for a full membership to use it. _But_, there is a free trial for first-timers. I highly recommend it. Exercise helps to relieve stress you know."

The doors opened on their own with a heavy creak. Gregory urged her inside, "Come along, my dear. It wouldn't hurt to try."

She and Gregory then entered the massive room. Bright torches filled the area with light, and the gymnasium brimmed with equipment resembling torture devices. The young woman glanced at the spikes of a circular piece, noticing fresh blood upon it.

"Did I forget to mention, my dear," Gregory snidely added as he headed for the door, "that you won't be able to leave this room until your trial is up? He, he, he."

Suddenly, the doors slammed shut in front of him, causing him to jump and involuntarily cry out, "Bwuh!"

"Same goes for you, cheese-gobbling rat!" a thundering voice barked. On the other side of the room was a stout, human-like hound dressed in camouflage and a wide-brim hat. His teeth were tightly clenched, lips forming a narrow box, and multiple veins pulsed from his thick neck as he shouted, "You two _slackers_ are the sorriest, damn sacks I've ever seen crawl in! You'll be sweating _blood_ by the time I'm done with you _runts!_"

"Now, Trainer, I'm just an old mouse. I don't think I'll be able to handle such vigorous training." Gregory pleaded, "Surely you'll consider-"

"_No excuses, flea-bitten scumbag!_" Screamed the trainer, nearly rattling the very walls of the room, "_Slime like you don't even deserve to last as long as you have! Old age is all the more excuse to get your tail in gear as soon as possible!_"

At this, Gregory relented. The trainer stamped his boot on the ground and pointed a finger at them, shouting, "You're going to get into shape or _die trying!_"

Suddenly, the equipment before them came to life, bearing their bloodthirsty fangs; wicked drills began to whir and scrape against one another, sending sparks flying; several ton crushers slammed against one another, kicking up clouds of grounded up bones; rows and rows of shining spikes stabbed up from the floor, before retreating slowly back into their holes. At first, they hesitated. However, multiple and rotating saw blades edged towards them from the wall and forced them to continue forward.

"Come on, you maggots!" barked the trainer, "If you _babies_ can't work off the fat yourselves, then let the blades _cut it off for you!_"

First was a rotating, log-sized cylinder covered in spikes. They hurriedly jumped over it, but Gregory was abruptly yanked back. With a panicked whimper, he looked to see the end of his coat caught on a spike, pulling him back while the device kept turning. As the young woman ran, she heard Gregory give a blood-curdling shriek behind her.

The young woman pushed forward, not daring to look back as she moved onto the next section. It seemed like a clear shot, until a massive flail struck the ground before her.

"Get moving or die a failure!" The trainer roared, as she scraped her way through several other deadly trials. "My studies in exercise science have shown that death threats are the most effective motivator _for even the laziest of swine!_"

Finally, the young woman leapt over a massive bear trap and came to a stop at the end of the obstacle course, panting lightly.

"Did I _say_ you could take a break!" the trainer barked from a platform nearby, glaring down at her. As he yelled, spit rained from his flashing fangs and lashing tongue, "Though you've completed the obstacle course sample, your trial isn't over yet!"

Exhausted huffing and puffing came from nearby, and the young woman glanced over to see Gregory, bloodied and ridden with holes, shambling over to her side. He gasped, "But there…isn't much time left…"

"Numbskull! Exercise lasts until the day you finally drop dead to feed some other, far superior creature!" The trainer growled, "Of course, you slime will have to pay for full membership if you want to live your unhealthy lives with any dignity! The remaining portion of this trial involves one-on-one sparring! It's not over until one of you is down."

"Are you saying," the young woman spoke up evenly, "that this trial ends once sparring is over?"

The trainer leaned forward, roaring, "Do you have rocks in your ears! Yes, you idiot! That's exactly what I said! Now get to it before I tear you to pieces myself!"

The young woman and Gregory faced each other. She raised her fists, turning them inward, and Gregory nervously shifted around.

"Y-you'll take it easy on an old mouse, won't you, my dear?" he stuttered. The young woman didn't answer.

In that instance, the young woman no longer saw Gregory but a young man with short and dark hair, wearing a white and brown uniform emblazoned with a symbol of a pair of crossed blades. He mimicked her stance, but his teal-green eyes looked back unsurely. They were in the midst of a training camp, with the hot sun blazing over the dirt floor. Biting his lip, he charged towards her and swung his fist. However, she caught his arm and, using his momentum against him, effortlessly flipped him over, onto his back.

He harshly landed with a pained grunt and groaned, "…Okay. I think I've got this move down now. You've show me it enough."

The young woman turned to him and held out her hand. He blinked in surprise, but a pleasant smile then formed on his face. He accepted her hand as he said, "Thank…" but his deep voice shifted to an elderly one as the image of him changed back to Gregory, whom she was actually helping up, "…you, my dear."

She immediately let go, and he fell back to the ground, letting out a little "oof!". A disharmonious calamity sounded as the obstacle course rearranged itself, allowing a clear path to the exit. All the while, the trainer shouted, "Complementary refreshments are to the left…if you morons actually paid for the full membership! If you don't want to wake up each day, weighed down by shame and your own _fat_, then purchase the membership! You'll come to understand why they call it "the burn"! And don't forget to stretch!"

The young woman ignored all of this and soon left the gymnasium far behind her.

* * *

_**Moon's Meow**_**: This is how I imagine a gym might turn out in Gregory House. The fan-character this time around is one I like to call "The Trainer". What fear he represents is pretty vague, though probably having something to do with the fear of death either by exercise or lack thereof. In a cruel twist of fate, I do believe that this chapter will be where the guest has been most happy, if that says anything. I hope you have fun reading~**


	12. Night 12

Night 12

_ Memories are reminders of what we live for. Some memories are painful to look back on. Even the fond memories, the ones that you would want to keep close, manage to hurt as well. A pleasant past makes a harsh present and a bleak future all the worse._

Her footsteps were heavy and directionless. The young woman walked slowly through the dark halls, passing one meek candle after another. The corridors were all starting to look the same to her.

In the distance, a husky voice called out, _"Annie."_

The young woman stopped abruptly. She looked around then turned. Down the hall, where a blue glow emitted from, there was a ghostly creature floating in the air, as if it were swimming. It had the body of a fish skeleton but the head was a box of some sort, with a glass face and metal antennas sticking out of the top. The face itself had no features, but behind the glass was a pair of blank eyes amidst a black background. The face on the other side of the glass then flickered, replaced briefly by the image of a small building beside a tree, with a man and a young girl standing beside it.

The young woman watched as the fish-like creature swam over her head, and the light that came from its form glowed blue, overtaking the candles, and made it seem as though they were underwater. As the fish moved past, the image on its face flickered again as the voice called out once more.

_ "Annie!"_

The young woman immediately ran after the fish as it swam around the corner. She caught up with it, but the fish didn't face her, instead it drifted down the hall. She couldn't see that the image under the glass continue to change, but the noises from it could still be heard and recognized.

There was a young, girlish grunting that went along with the sound of repeated strikes. A man shouted encouragingly, _"Looking good, Annie!"_ and his voice rang throughout a wooded area. She continued to kick the cushioned surface, and the man called out, _"That's my girl!"_ The kicking stopped for moment, and the young girl panted slowly and deeply. The man responded with, _"Annie! No breaks!"_ The girl stopped panting and grunted as she kicked once more.

Suddenly, the fish twitched and abruptly swam away. With the sound of rippling water, the fish phased through the wall, causing the hall to darken and quiet. The young woman stayed where she was for a moment, looking back and forth. The fish then swam back out in the hall, bathing it in blue, watery light once again. This time, the fish edged towards her and the image changed.

The man stood outside of the building as he tightly hugged the young girl. Tears streamed down his face. She stared up at the sky, wide-eyed, as he said to her, _"Your dad is the only one on your side."_ The image flickered once more. _"Annie…I was wrong."_ The man knelt in front of the young girl, holding her shoulders. He said to her, _"It's too late to ask for your forgiveness."_ His voice grew more choked with each word, _"But…there's one thing…I want to ask of you."_

Suddenly, the image blacked and the noises silenced completely. Gregory spoke up from behind her, candle in one hand and a small device with buttons in the other, "I'm afraid that's all there is to the trial broadcast, my dear. You'll have to sign up with Gregory Cable Television in order to see more." He started to move around her, towards the floating fish, but Gregory paused upon noticing her face. The old mouse oily expressed concern, "Oh! My dear…are you crying?"

The young woman turned away and started down the hall. With the back of her fingers, she wiped off a few silent tears. Gregory called out after her, "Perhaps there are certain memories best forgotten, my dear."

At this, the young woman stopped. Without looking back at him, she agreed, "Perhaps." then added, "But that it won't work when those memories serve purposeful reminders."

With that, the young woman continued onward, leaving Gregory and the glowing fish behind her.

* * *

**_Moon's Meow_: TV Fish is one of my favorite GHS characters in that it's so mysterious; does it simply swim around like any other fish and it just so happens to broadcast the memories of the signals that it picks up, or it is partly aware of what it does? As such, this another chapter of the story that I enjoyed writing. I hope you guys enjoy reading and I'll see you next chapter.**


	13. Night 13

Night 13

_ I had just been given a chance to go back in time, before all of the mistakes and regrets were made. Back to a time when I felt happiest. The chance to escape misery and suffering…It's tempting to me._

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. An incessant ticking filled the halls. The young woman headed to where the sounds were loudest and rounded a corner; on the left side of the hall was a crowd of various clocks and hourglasses. As she walked, she passed glass cases with dozens of watches sitting inside. She began to make her way past a three-walled room filled with time-telling devices in the middle of the noisy display. The young woman noticed a pair of humanoid clocks beside each other, facing her. She didn't realize that they were alive until the smaller of the two pointed at her and spoke enthusiastically.

"Daddy! She has such a despairing look on her face. Something terrible must've happened in her past!" The smaller creature had the body of a young boy dressed in a white shirt and black pants with black suspenders, but his head was shaped like a clock with a large, golden windup key sticking out the top. His face was flesh colored with rosy cheeks; his eyes were half-closed, marked with four marks like a compass; his wide smile only revealed two, large, front teeth; his oval-shaped, black nose had two drips of blood, unnaturally moving up and down rhythmically; on his forehead, silver letters read "TIME IS MONEY", and there were white dials underneath it with the numbers 1, 9, 6, and 0.

"Indeed! Good observation, My Son," replied the larger creature. Similar to the other, he had the body of a man dressed in a purple vest, white-black shirt and black pants. He also had a clock for a head, with a windup key on top. As for differences, his face was wrinkled, red-ish and dotted with moles; his eyes were squinted, and thick eyelashes stuck out from the bottom lid; his lips were large, dark and puckered; his small, brown circle of a nose had clock hands on it, but they were curved and dark like a mustache; on his forehead, pink letters read "WORLD IS YOUR'S" and dials underneath it also had the numbers 1, 9, 6 and 0.

The young woman continued past them as well as more ticking clocks and watches. Nonetheless, their words followed her.

"Can anything be done for her?" wondered the boy.

"Definitely not!" replied the man, who then added, "Except for a slight chance…"

The young woman stopped, looking back around at them. The clock-man noticed.

"Hmm. You seem interested, young lady," he stated more than asked. The clock-boy also turned to face her as his father continued, "Well, I might as well explain to you what I'm talking about, now, shouldn't I?

"You see, I am the Clock Master, Ruler of Time!" he boasted. "I can send you back in time, just before your endless misery began-I'm sure that you've got that very moment pictured in your head right now-By sending you back, you'll then have a second chance to avoid all the pain and misery that follows after that single point in time.

"So, young lady, what do you say? Do you want me to send you back in time?" the clock-man asked, his boisterous voice ringing through the air like a deep chime. There was then a pause, as the young woman did not immediately respond. In those passing moments, the dull ticks and tocks of the surrounding clocks began to harmonize in near, overwhelming unison. The clock creatures themselves also joined in the mechanic symphony as they stared at her and patiently waited for the answer. In tune to each second that went by, the drips of blood from clock boy's nose moved up and down while the clock man's mustache began to move like the clock hands that they were.

Finally, the young woman answered, "I appreciate the offer, but no thank you. I think I'll be fine."

At this, the clock man blinked in surprise. Before he could utter a word, however, an oily voice spoke up from the end of the hall.

"I couldn't agree more, my dear," said Gregory as he approached, his glowing candle in hand. He went on smugly, "After all, it's hard to say if you'd be able to manage the will to rewrite your own past. Besides, should you fail, you would only end up experiencing hell all over again. Quite a demoralizing thought really. He, he, he."

The young woman stared at the old mouse for a long moment before turning and walking back down the hallway that she came from. As she did, Gregory looked to the Clock Master and inquired in an unctuous tone, "I must ask, what is your opinion on the idea of 'history repeating itself', hmm?"

"It's plausible, with plenty of examples throughout history," he replied.

With a gleam in his eye, Gregory responded, "Oh? Would that include your attempt, not too long ago, to make a clock turn backwards? I wonder if another try would end in failure just as before…"

The Clock Master's face reddened and puffed up from anger. "It certainly would not!" He shouted, "My Son! Wind me up! I'll get that damned clock to turn backwards!"

"But, Daddy!" The boy protested worriedly, "What about last time? You almost broke yourself!"

"I must do this!" The Clock Master insisted loudly, "I _will_ do this! A master of time can complete such a task! Now, wind me up!"

The boy uneasily complied, grabbing a small ladder to turn the windup key on his father's head. The boy murmured, "You're already wound up. Try not to push yourself."

As the key turned with little clicks, the Clock Master groaned and narrowed his eyes. Then, when the boy let go, allowing it to rapidly unwind, the man's eyes nearly went to the back of his head as his mustache starting spinning wildly. He shouted in an otherworldly voice, which rattled the air and transcended time, "_TIME IS MONEEEEY!_"

The targeted clock, with a glass case and silver pendulum, edged towards its new minute, but its needle-like hand slowed. The man's key and clock hands continued to dizzily spin, until his head also started to roll. The silver minute hand nearly stopped. There was a sudden pop, much like a cork detaching from a wine bottle; the source of the noise was the Clock Master's windup key popping out, bringing him to a halt. His eyes rolled back, and he fell backward. The silvery hand proceeded, as if uninterrupted.

"Daddy!" called out the boy, rushing over to his father's side.

The Clock Master slowly recollected himself and sat up, but not without woefully groaning, "I couldn't…I couldn't do it…I'm just too old…"

"It's okay, Daddy."

Gregory, who had witnessed the whole spectacle, finally turned and began heading off. With a chuckle, he muse aloud, "Well, if history does truly repeat itself, then I'll soon see him again at the bar, drinking away his sorrows. He, he, he."

* * *

_**Moon's Meow**_**: My apologies for the late update! I appreciate your patience and hope that you all have fun reading. I hope to see you next time.**


	14. Night 14

Night 14

_ I finally managed to find my room again…as well as the front lobby to this hotel. Though I'm sure that it won't be as easy to walk out of here as it may seem, I want to exit those doors, the ones that led me into this wretched house in the first place._

The young woman made her way down the dark corridor, passing one teal door after another. Finally, in the dim light of the orange wall candle, she stopped and turned to face a door with the golden numbers _205_. She grabbed the doorknob and easily turned it. She hesitated to open the door.

The young woman took a long moment to listen for any noises within the room. There were none. The door creaked as she carefully pushed it open. When she was able to glance inside, the young woman saw that the interior of the room looked as though it was untouched. To her relief, the young woman was reunited with a quiet and simple room that was exactly as she had left it. She paused at the doorway, gaze lingering on the bed. However, her eyes then moved over to the rifle that was idly propped against the bed.

The young woman stepped inside of the room but didn't shut the door behind her. She picked up the rifle and checked the ammunition inside; it was fully loaded. In a practiced manner, the young woman slung the rifle over her shoulder. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught movement. Glancing in that direction, she found it to be her own reflection, in which the young woman looked over at her tied up, blond hair, her white and brown uniform, and her light blue eyes. The young woman then turned from the mirror and made her way out of the room, finally shutting the door behind her.

Purposefully, she made her way back down through the corridors, recollecting the path that Gregory had gone when he first showed her to her room. Finally, she came to a set of stairs leading downward. They with each step that she took until she finally reached the bottom of the stairway. Here, there were dark halls on either side of her, but a bright lobby was ahead of her. The young woman continued straight into the lobby, which was fairly well lit by the surrounding wall candles. There was a cluster of armchairs to her right but she turned away from them and moved past the empty, front desk to her left. She headed for the door and was soon past the desk.

"Leaving so soon, my dear?" came Gregory's oily inquiry. The young woman stopped, looking back at the desk. There, the old mouse sat behind it, wearing a pair of reading glasses, and there was a book opened before him, as if he had sat there this whole time.

"I'm getting some fresh air. I don't like cramped places," the young woman responded dully.

A page noisily crinkled as Gregory turned it over. He then looked to her, light gleaming off of his glasses. "Oh no, my dear. I wouldn't advise that. It much too late for a young lady such as yourself to go out, especially all alone."

"That's why I brought this," replied the young woman, adjusting the gun slung over her shoulder. Light slid down the barrel of the weapon as she moved.

"Very well, my dear. I certainly can't stop you." Gregory looked back at his book and added, "I just hope that you'll be prepared for the consequences. He, he, he."

The young woman didn't respond this time. Instead she took hold of the chilly handle and opened the door, which let out an agonizing creak. The cold night air rushed in. The wavering candle lights behind her gave the young woman a glimpse of what lay before her; that path that led from the building was faded and barely visible. Surrounding the feeble, foggy trail were what seemed to be rows and rows of tombstones. The young woman stepped outside, and the door creakily began to close behind her. The candles that burned beside the door had gone out some time ago, and not even a sliver of the moon was to be seen. As soon as that door shut, the young woman found herself in utter darkness.

* * *

**_Moon's Meow_: Did she finally make it? Was it as simple as going out the door? Probably not, considering I've still got twelve chapters to post.**

**This chapter is brief but consider it the calm before a storm. Next is one of the chapters I had the most fun writing.**


	15. Night 15

Night 15

_ I was finally outside again, but I hardly felt safe. I find myself surrounded by countless tombstones. Part of me wondered who could possibly inhabit those graves, but I don't have the time to concern myself with that. I just need to keep moving forward._

Her boots crunched against the dark soil. The young woman continued straight forward, keeping her gaze locked on the barely visible path before her. There was then a flash of light from the sky, follow by a sharp rumble of thunder. She ignored it. However, a crisp rustle near her right caused her to instinctively stop and cautiously glance over in that direction. For a moment, there was only motionless darkness to be seen, with no further sound. The lightning noiselessly flashed, instantaneously filling the graveyard with bright light. In that instant, she found herself staring directly at a tombstone, with a name that she recognized. The young woman let out a gasp as the light died away and the thunder growled in its place. Eyes fixated on where she saw the gravestone, the young woman proceeded towards it, deviating from the path. She then stopped a foot away from where she believed the tombstone sat and waited.

The lightning flashed silently yet again, clearly revealing the carved words, "HERE LIES MINA CAROLINA".

"No…why is this…here…" the young woman whispered breathlessly and slowly backed off of the spot directly in front of the tombstone. Her gaze was stuck on the tombstone, and, though it was too dark to make out much, she could still clearly see the name in her memory. Finally, the young woman sharply turned away and started to bolt off. At that moment, the lightning struck again.

The graveyard was briefly brightened, and the tombstone in front of her now was revealed to say, "HERE LIES MARCO BOTT".

As the light faded, the sole of the young woman's boot dug in the dirt as she turned and rushed away. The young woman ran without pause and at a fearful pace. When the lightning flashed, she found herself only surrounded by more graves, with the path no where in sight. There were points when the young woman would stop for a moment to try to run back in the direction she was sure that the path was in, but then she would find another tombstone staring her in the face, causing her to retreat. Her feet pounded against the dark soil. Her rifle painfully clacked against her shoulder. The lightning struck. "HERE LIES THOMAS WAGNER". The wind began to roar in her ears. Her panting started to catch in her throat. The lightning struck. "HERE LIES NAC TIUS". The sound of the chilling wind changed, turning into horrible moans and pleading cries. The young woman stopped and covered her ears. The lightning struck. "HERE LIES MYLIUS ZERAMUSKI".

_ Don't leave us, comrade!_ the wind begged, with the voices of dozens of young men and women, all in unison. The young woman, still tightly gripping her ears to no avail, dropped her gaze. The wind called out to her, _Please don't isolate yourself, comrade! Friend! You'll be all alone out there!_ The young woman's grip on her ears was too tight, and she could feel them going numb. It was not enough to deafen her, and she could still hear the wind, the group of voices, implored, _Stay with us!_ The young woman fell to her knees and hunched over. _Don't leave._ Her breathing started to slow._ Stay with us. _Her hands dropped from her head and rested by her sides._ Join us._

The dirt before her suddenly burst as a skeletal hand made a grab for her. The bony fingertips snagged on the collar of her jacket.

The young woman immediately pulled away, causing the skinless hand to break off of its arm. She yanked off the disembodied hand, which then crumbled into dust in her palm. The young woman glanced up, as the sound of breaking soil repeated all around her, and she saw more skeleton hands appear from the ground. The unified voices of the wind then fell apart into disharmonious shrieking and yelling, all screaming for her. _Don't leave!_ She quickly got to her feet and scrambled to open her jacket pocket. The young woman drew out her silver ring, which she slipped onto her right index finger. _You can't leave!_ With a flick of her hand, a claw-like hook retracted from the ring, and she placed her thumb against the tip of the point. _You can't forget us!_

In that same moment, a tight grip wrapped around her ankle and yanked her back. The sharp end of the hook barely broke the skin on her thumb. _Will you run?_ The young woman fell backwards, into a pit of sorts. She managed to roll over in the air, so then she struck the ground with her shoulder taking in most of the impact. _Where will you run?_ The young woman grunted painfully, but quickly pulled herself up.

The young woman glanced around, realizing that she now sat in a six-foot deep, empty grave. _You can't run!_ The chaotic wind continued to howl above her, and the skeletal hands burst from the walls, showering her with scattered soil. She pushed the hook put into place within the ring and took up her rifle, though it was too narrow of a place to easily aim the barrel at the walls. _Stay with us!_ The young woman felt fingers brush against her back, and she moved forward. However, a hand came out of the ground before her and made a grab at her ankles. _You have no where to go!_ The young woman pointed her rifle at this hand and pulled the trigger. The shot rang through the air; dirt, dust and bits of bones exploded in front of her. For a moment, the wind started to quiet, only to start up again with renewed vigor. _You won't leave!_ The young woman felt ground beneath her begin to shake as more skeleton hands started to emerge from the ground. _You will die!_ The hands surrounding her writhed and wiggled like flesh-craving maggots, and the hands underneath her took hold of her legs._ You will join us!_

Water was suddenly dumped into the grave, soaking the young woman, but she watched as all of the skeletal hands melted as a result. The wind then fell into unintelligible screams. A rope ladder came down nearby.

"Come quickly, my dear!" Gregory shouted from above. She glanced up and saw the old mouse standing at the edge of the pit, holding his candle like a glowing beacon. The young woman looked back at the ladder, slung her rifle back over her shoulder, and quickly hurried up it, nearly losing her grip on the wet surface. All the while, the screams wavered and the voices in the wind were garbled. However, the noises slowly began to form words again. The young woman followed closed behind Gregory as they bolted through the graveyard. _plea._ The young woman looked ahead of Gregory, seeing a large shape before them. _on't._ The two headed straight back to the building called "Gregory House". _eave._ Bright light poured from the opened entrance, welcoming them back. _aren't._ The young woman rushed into the building.

_we friends?_

The doors slammed shut behind them. Everything grew quiet, aside from the sound of burning candles and the two panting.

"Perhaps…my dear," Gregory said between breaths, and she looked over at him, "you should…head to your room…and rest."

The young woman nodded silently before exiting the lobby, into the dark hall.

* * *

_**Moon's Meow**_**: This is one of the chapters I had the most fun writing. I certainly hope you all had just as much fun reading.**


	16. Night 16

Night 16

_ I had made an attempt to escape this house, but I ended up right back where I started. It feels I can't escape. Judgment looms over me, but I keep trying to get away. Is there a way to outrun it?_

The young woman had just reached the top of the creaking stairs, and she made her way down the dim corridor. She felt cold and damp. The rifle slung over her shoulder had one less bullet in it. She was tired.

A metallic rumbling caught her ear, and she looked over to her right. Judgment Boy was a stride away from the young woman, gaze settled on her. She immediately turned away and bolted for her room. However, the hallway around her started to fade away into a black abyss, until there was nothing left but boundless darkness. Abruptly, several cages dropped from above and jerked to a stop around her, reaching the end of their chain length. The pink hearts and golden money signs glowed within the cages as they surrounded her. All the while, the metallic rumbling had continued and she looked back around, to see that Judgment Boy had caught up with her.

The human-like scales loomed over her and also barred her path past him. He then began to speak in his booming voice, "You are told to keep a valuable secret. If you keep this secret, countless people will die. If you reveal this secret, you risk a fate worse than death. What will you do?"

The young woman did not respond. She dropped her gaze to the ground. For what seemed like several minutes, or what could've been longer, they stayed still and quiet until Judgment Boy, with his cruel and smiling gaze, stated, "You cannot avoid judgment. You cannot hide. You cannot leave without consequence. And you cannot kill the truth!" he added, watching her fingers take hold of then release her rifle's strap. He leaned forward, chains and metal creaking, and he repeated challengingly, "Now, what will you do?"

There was a long pause. Without looking up, the young woman answered quietly, "I wouldn't keep the secret."

"So you _say_." Judgment Boy replied, "_I say _we consult the Balance of Truth."

Abruptly, he rapidly began to spin around while shouting, "Judgment!", but the young woman didn't react. She simply stayed where she was as the yellow and pink lights haphazardly flew around. As suddenly as he had started, Judgment Boy came to a complete stop, calling out, "Now!"

At that moment, not only did the bottom of Judgment Boy's cage with a heart drop open, so did all the other heart-bearing cages around her. The handful of hearts, emitting warmth and selflessness, fell through the dark air like pink rain for a moment. When the hearts struck the ground in unison, the painful shattering was intensified, filling the edgeless abyss. It was enough to almost cause one's own heart to burst. All around the young woman's feet, broken pieces slowly lost their pink glow. Judgment Boy then announced, like a massive bell tolling right in front of her, "You choose to keep the secret. Hundreds upon hundreds of people die as a result, but you still keep quiet. It was your choice. Now you get to live with it."

Judgment Boy's metal body creaked as he turned. He was tipped to the side, with one end of his scale-like form pulled down by the weight of self-interest and greed. The metallic rumbling started up when Judgment Boy began to leave. As he moved away, the black abyss and the dangling cages slowly faded away. The young woman was soon back in the dimly-lit corridor. However, the remains of the broken hearts took the longest to disappear. Before the pieces completely went away, the young woman turned and went in the direction of her room.

* * *

**_Moon's Meow_: Funny how Judgement Boy tends to be one of the one prominent characters in this story. **

**I hope you had fun reading and I'll see you next chapter!**


	17. Night 17

Night 17

_ What's the point of knowing my future? If my fate is inevitable, then there isn't any reason to warn me of it beforehand. Perhaps…the purpose may not be to give me the chance to change my future, so much as give me a head start on coming to accept it._

The young woman headed for her room just down the hall. Before she could reach it, a white cloud of thick vapor suddenly blossomed in her way. A creaky and knowing voice echoed through the corridor in that moment, stating, "_Betrayal…_

"Betrayal and imprisonment," the old woman's voice then became clearer in the dissipating vapor. A green tent of sorts now sat in the middle of the hall, blocking the young woman's path. Within the tent was a round table, with candles on either side. Standing on the middle of the table was short, human-like frog dressed in black robes. Her matted, grey hair hung from under her black cap. Her green and slimy hands circled over a crystal ball atop a red pillow set up in front of her. The purple eyes behind her half-closed lids slid over towards the young woman. She spoke with a crackling purr, "I see betrayal and imprisonment in your future. The near future, in fact, but I can't say how soon."

"Oh, don't listen to her, my dear," Gregory spoke up from behind the young woman. She turned to look at the old mouse, who continued to brush off the frog's words, "You certainly don't need to worry about what this old, fortune-teller says. She just likes to hear her own voice. Why don't you go back to your room and rest? You've had a very long day, I'd say you deserve it."

"The way is blocked," stated the fortune teller evenly.

Gregory assured the young woman, "Worry not, my dear. We'll simply go around her."

The old frog narrowed her eyes at Gregory, and she warned, "You cannot escape destiny."

The young woman paused, glancing at the frog, before continuing down the hall. Gregory scoffed and prepared to follow the young woman, who was out of sight at this point, until the fortune-teller called out, "I see your future too, Gregory."

At this, the old mouse stopped to face her, and he rolled his eyes, "I'll humor you, if only so then you'll stop pestering everyone."

The fortune-teller looked into her crystal ball and waved her hands around it, continuing to say, "I see you, Gregory, with your head split open."

"Huh! Is that a threat, I suppose?" Gregory laughed it off. He shook his head and turned away, adding, "You fortunes aren't always literal anyways. In that sense, I shouldn't worry! You can't hurt me."

When he took a step forward, Gregory felt a crunch underneath his foot. He paused and looked down; he found that he had stepped on a doll that resembled him and caused a large crack to form on its head.

"My dolly! H-how did this-did it fall out of my pocket?" cried the old mouse, who then scrambled to pick up the item. He turned it over desperately in his hands and inspected the deep split down the top of the doll's head. He panicked and hurried down the hall, shouting, "Don't worry! We'll fix you right up! J-just hang in there, my little friend!"

"Never argue with fate," the fortune-teller warned in a low and foreboding voice. She and her tent then disappeared in a cloud of vapor, leaving not a trace behind.

* * *

_**Moon's Meow**_**: Alright, I managed to post this just little before midnight, so I'm not technically late.**

**Anyways, I have to say that the Frog Fortune-Teller is another one of my favorite GHS characters; she was always so knowing and mysterious, making her terrifying yet respected at the same time.**


	18. Night 18

Night 18

_ Horrifying reminders appear when I least expect it. It's gotten harder and harder to tell the difference between imagination and reality. This is getting to the point where I can't even tell if my life is truly in danger or not._

The young woman slowed to a stop as she heard a noise outside of her own footsteps, coming from down the hall. It was a repeated banging noise, accompanied by a ringing jangle. It got closer, with the echoes growing increasingly louder, and the young woman took a step back. She reached behind her neck, and her fingers brushed against her rifle's cold barrel. The source of the noise finally emerged from the abyss before her.

It was a small and colorful box with half of a white-faced doll, with painted black eyes and a red-lipped smile, sticking out of the top. The boxed creature paused at the sight of her, and its pleated torso loosely flopped around. When it came to stop, the doll took hold of the opened top of the box and ducked away. With a click, the box shut. Suddenly, the box rattled and shook, as a high-pitched voice shrieked and cried, "_Help!_ I can't get out! It won't open! It won't open!"

The young woman jumped back and looked around. She settled her gaze back on the box, which trembled as the creature inside tried to beat its way out.

"Help! Help me!" cried the box, without pause.

"Oh, that's just Jack Box," Gregory nonchalantly assured from behind the young woman. She turned and saw him, candle in one hand and the other behind his back. Oily smile on his face, he continued, "I wouldn't pay him any mind, my dear. He does that."

_ "Betrayal and imprisonment", _the fortune-teller's warning rang in her mind. She looked back at the box, which violently rocked back and forth, as the creature inside wailed, "_Please! PLEASE!_ I can't get OUT!"

The young woman took a step forward. Gregory, grinning, warned, "Don't." She walked over and knelt down in front of the box. "Don't do it." The young woman took hold of a handle on the side of the box. Gregory shook his head, on the verge of laughter as he repeated, "Don't do it, my dear."

She turned the handle, and a melodic chime began to play. The screaming captive continued to pound on the box, to the point where the young woman had to hold it steady, "Free me! Help me! PLEASE! I can't! I can't _breathe!_ I'm going to _die!_"

The young woman sped up the turning, causing the melody to increase its tempo. Gregory could not be heard over the wailing and music at this point. The melody repeated over and over; it difficult to say when it would end. All the while, the creature shouted, "Let me out! Let me out!" Abruptly, the melody ended, the creature ceased screaming and the lid to the box loosened.

The top of the box then fully opened as a large shape shot out. It stretched beyond the ceiling, as if there was none. From it, a large hand swung over and swept her off of the ground. She felt herself lifted high up as the manifesting figure slowly stood up. The fingers of the large hand were big enough to wrap around her torso, like holding a doll. The young woman struggled fruitlessly in the iron grip, but then noticed something in her own hand; she held a blade, with handgrips on the hilt, as well as a disconnected, metal wire sticking from the bottom end. The blade itself was as long as a dagger diagonally cut at the end. The young woman looked over the red and white, skinless hand that held her; it was connected to a female body with limited skin cover and mostly exposed muscle. She then looked up and met the face of her captor.

Fair blonde hair hung past her cheeks, which were covered with muscle lining. One of her light blue eyes alone was as big as the young woman's head. The two started at each other for a long moment. The female giant upturned her chin and snapped open her mouth, opening it so wide that the skin around her lips tore with fleshy rips. Seeing the inside of the mouth, the young woman let out a half horrified gasp, half gag. Nestled behind her very human-like teeth were dozens of decapitated, human heads, dripping with blood and saliva. The heads were packed together, making it difficult to make out the lifeless faces of each one. A few at the front were easy to distinguish. The young woman's eyes darted from the head of blond, young man with large ears and golden-brown eyes; another young man, also with golden brown eyes, but with brushed back, dark hair; there was a young man with blond hair that nearly looked white and his blue eyes were extremely light, almost to the point of colorlessness; there was one more dark-haired, young man towards the front of the mouth, but his head was turned so only half of his face was visible; the young woman's gaze caught on a young woman with bluish-grey eyes and blue hair ties holding her dark, shoulder-length hair in a pair of pigtails.

The female giant, mouth still opened wide, then started to lean towards the young woman. As the decaying heads moved closer to her, the young woman glanced desperately around, with her right arm pinned to her side and her left armed with the dagger. Without much hesitation, she drove the blade into the giant's hand.

The young woman let out a pained scream, throwing her head back. When she looked back down, with her hand searing, the young woman found herself sitting on the edge of the bed in her hotel room. Her left hand gripped a large shard of glass, which jutted out of her own right hand. Blood oozed from the injury. The young woman gritted her teeth, keeping her right hand still, and carefully adjusted her grip on the glass shard. With an anguished groan, the young woman swiftly pulled the shard free, letting loose drops of blood and bits of flesh.

A short minute later, Gregory bounded down the hall, candle in hand. He burst through the door, worriedly calling out, "Are you alright, my dear? I heard screaming-huh?"

The old mouse saw the young woman seated on the edge of her bed, holding the spotless glass shard. She had it rested against her leg and stared off emotionlessly. There wasn't a scratch on her nor a spot of blood to be seen. She answered dully, "I'm fine."

He curiously looked her over but then swept his quizzical face under his oily mask. Gregory approached her and offered, "I'm relieved to hear it, my dear. Here, allow me to discard that rubbish for you." As he started to exit the door, he called back, "Sleep well! Be sure to remember to call me if you ever need anything. He, he, he."

When the door shut behind him, Gregory immediately inspected the syringe, glass shard in the candlelight. He muttered to himself, "No blood…how odd for a human…"

A repeated banging noise, accompanied by a ringing jangle, broke his train of thought. He turned to see the Jack-in-a-box hop over to him, closed shut. The handle turned on its own, playing "Pop Goes the Weasel" several times. Finally, the box opened and out came a figure that resembled Gregory. However, the figure was a mouse with wild blonde hair and a dark dress decorated with mouse-shaped bones. Her face was laden with wrinkles, make-up, moles and kiss marks. Her outward eyes glowed bright red as she leapt out at Gregory with a high-pitch laugh that didn't match her.

"AH! M-Mama!" Gregory cried out in fear and nearly fell over. He scrambled to his feet and bolted away, wailing, "Y-you'll regret this! She _hates_ being impersonated!"

The imitation dove back into the box then popped out, resuming the form of a regular Jack-in-a-box. He let out a satisfied chuckle and began to hop away. However, a low, womanly growl started to rattle the air around it. Jack Box flopped around in a panic as darkness swirled around him. His crank then began to turn in the direction opposite of what it was supposed to. This forced Jack Box into his box, and the crank continued to turn, pushing him further and further into himself. Gears began to creak and grind in ways not meant to as the growling intensified. Finally, Jack Box could handle no more, and he sprung apart, his pieces flying about the hall. Afterwards, an old woman's crackling laughter shook the corridors, now decorated with scattered gears and a broken crank.

* * *

**_Moon's Meow_: My apologies for being late! Blame MomoCon for being too much fun, haha.  
Nonetheless, I am glad to get this chapter posted as it is another one of my personal favorites that I had the most fun writing. "Jack Box" is another fan character of mine, who represents the fear of one being caught off guard by things that terrify them. I hope you all have fun reading and I'll see you next time!**


	19. Night 19

Night 19

_ I can't stay at this place. I need to get back to my life, my…purpose. I can hear its voice calling for me, rallying for me to go. My people are searching for me, and I am needed. I will follow their call out of this house and back into my life._

The young woman lied on her bed and stared up at the ceiling. Nothing had stirred for quite some time, but she didn't know or care how long it's been. It had been quiet. Suddenly, a voice, the deep voice of a young man, then started up from behind the door, at a distance. This voice called searchingly, almost in panic, "Annie!"

The young woman immediately sat up. She stared at the door in shock and heard the voice cry again, "Annie!"

"…Reiner?" she whispered back. The young woman, without hesitation, pulled herself onto her feet, took up her rifle by the bedside, and rushed out the door. From the doorway, she called back, "Reiner!"

There was a pause until the young man responded in recognition and relief, "Annie!" The noise came from further down the corridor, around the corner. The young woman bolted in that direction.

"Annie!" the young man called again, concern starting to edge into his voice. "Where are you?"

"I'm here, Reiner!" she shouted back, stopping to make another turn, from which she heard his voice.

The young woman stopped at an intersection and called, "Reiner! Where are you?"

"I'm over here!" he answered, with his voice coming from down the hall, around the next corner. Further relief and joy broke into his voice as they started to sound closer and closer to one another, but there was also urgency as he went on, "Come on, Annie! We have to get out of here!"

As she ran down the corridor, his words seemed to strike an epiphany in her. She whispered in agreement, "…Yeah. We do."

The young woman finally turned the corner, where she had heard the young man call from. She abruptly skidded to a stop. In the middle of the hall, there was a red box of sorts, with rows of numbered buttons between its eyes and above its slot-shaped mouth. Connected to it, by a winding red cord, was a red and bracket-shaped handle lying on its side beside the box-shaped creature.

"Annie…" The young man's voice seemed to come from one of the ends of the handle, but the young woman could see the creature's lips moving at the same time, "You found me…"

Suddenly, the young woman felt the ground give away beneath her, where a trap door had opened. She let out a cry as she fell, and the edges of the pit were slanted, giving her nothing to grab onto. The young woman was swallowed up by the yawning abyss in the pit.

The box-shaped creature peaked over the edge, seeing nothing but darkness down below. Footsteps that approached his side caught his attention, and he turned to see Gregory standing beside him.

"I thank you for services," Gregory thanked with a smile as he drew out his wallet from his pocket.

The red creature chuckled, with his eyes focused on the old mouse's wallet, "Well, that's what public phones do; serve and get paid! Heh-heh-heh."

Gregory pulled out a large bill and fed it into the other's mouth. Afterwards, the red creature let out a mindless giggle and giddily murmured, "Money, money-I'll see you at the bar-he, he, he. I've got money now."

The creature whipped himself around, so the bracket was pulled back into place on the top of his head. He then ran off, bell jingling and paper money rolling around inside him. Gregory, who stayed behind, peered over the edge of the pit.

"Ah, she fell into the trap of trying to have faith in people you just can't count on." Gregory chuckled to himself as he turned and began to walk off, "He, he, he. You can't trust anyone but yourself."

* * *

_**Moon's Meow**_**: Another short but fairly fun chapter. There was a point when writing this that I debated on using Bertholt instead of Reiner, but since I had thought out this scene with Reiner originally I decided to stick with it rather than second guess myself. Hope you guys have fun reading and I'll see you next chapter!**


End file.
